Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Veterans Health Administration • Ventura, CA

12d • Onsite

About The Position

The Greater Los Angeles VA Health Care System is hiring two Advanced Medical Support Assistants for its Ventura Outpatient Clinics. The position supports a clinical team-based model in the Veterans Health Administration and serves as an initial point of contact for clinic units and patients. The Advanced MSA provides specialized administrative patient support across multiple clinics and specialties, coordinating access to care with patients, interdisciplinary teams, VA medical centers, and outside agencies.

Work includes scheduling appointments in accordance with VA directives and local procedures; managing electronic orders, consults, and medical-record information; responding to patient concerns; and coordinating referrals, follow-up care, and emergency transfers. The position requires independent judgment in handling scheduling issues and day-to-day office operations, with minimal supervision. The employee works in an office setting and follows a Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. schedule. The schedule may include rotated weekends and holidays as needed. Telework, virtual work, compressed scheduling, relocation, and recruitment incentives are not authorized.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• At least six months of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative experience indicating ability to acquire the required knowledge and skills, or one year of education above high school, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-5 in an advanced or complex clinical setting, including use of advanced patient-care systems, scheduling across multiple clinics, coordination among providers and clinics including outside agencies, and advanced medical terminology and healthcare-process knowledge. Education cannot substitute for this specialized experience.
• At least six months of customer-service experience in a position requiring daily direct customer interactions.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate with clinicians across multiple disciplines to accomplish team goals and support patient care.
• Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines while complying with processes, policies, and regulations.
• Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively with internal and external customers electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing; this may include preparing reports, presenting data, and resolving patient concerns.
• Advanced knowledge of healthcare processes related to access to care, including interdisciplinary scheduling and patient-care portals.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures affecting patient flow and administrative support, including appointment cycles, outside referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, and provider availability.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology.
• Must meet background and security investigation requirements and complete the online onboarding process.
• Must meet applicable identification and application-documentation requirements.
• Participation in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for VA health care personnel.
• Must serve the stated one- or two-year trial period, subject to written certification for continued employment.
• Work is generally sedentary, with some walking, standing, and bending; occasional moderate activity such as carrying light items or lifting stacks of boxes or records is required.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate information and actions related to patient care and services.
• Schedule patient appointments in accordance with VHA national directives and local standard operating procedures.
• Answer multiline phone systems and retrieve voicemail to determine appropriate actions.
• Interview patients for appointments and refer them to other specialty clinics as needed.
• Provide information to patients to help resolve complaints and concerns.
• Interact with customers in person, by phone, and through written and electronic correspondence.
• Review and document electronic health records and administrative records.
• Verify and update patient demographics and third-party insurance information.
• Participate in team huddles and meetings, and provide coverage for other clinics as needed.
• Advise clinical staff on current administrative processes and assist with clinic-specific training when needed.
• Run administrative reports for the clinical team and take appropriate action, including follow-up on consults and no-shows.
• Coordinate emergency transfers to VA or private hospitals and determine eligibility status.
• Independently plan and carry out day-to-day office operations, resolve scheduling problems, and coordinate work to ensure tasks are completed accurately and on time.
• Coordinate release of information to organizations in support of direct patient care.
• Work rotated weekends and holidays throughout the year as needed.
• Coordinate clinic appointment availability and schedules with patient-care teams, making adjustments as necessary.
• Support communication and follow-up across care settings, including discharge communications, non-VA facility communications, patient correspondence, and follow-up systems for consults and tests.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package for eligible employees and their families.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual for qualifying prior federal or military service, subject to request and approval.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed